Consumers are tending to demand ever more sophisticated home entertainment systems as a result of advances in audio and video technology. Armed with bigger screens and better speakers, many people are turning ordinary rooms into home theater rooms. This requires not only having higher quality technology, but in some cases matching room decorations. Among other things, this means that some consumers prefer to have speakers installed in the wall or the ceiling to match the decor of the room, instead of simply locating speakers in a corner or along the outside of a wall. In such cases installation of the speakers can become paramount to the concept of the whole room.
Traditional speaker installation methods requires cutting a hole in a wall using bracket as a template. The wings are attached to the bracket sometimes via screws or other hard inflexible methods. The wing-bracket is installed into the wall by anchoring the system in the wall. Once that is completed, the wall may need to be spackled and the speaker is installed.
This traditional bracket-wing system has several limitations. One limitation is that such devices are extremely inflexible to accommodate different wall panels. Sometimes the wall is configured such that one wing needs to be longer than the other. Once the wing is attached, there is no flexibility in changing the position of the wing on the bracket. Depending on the relationship between the wall and the speaker's size and shape, different bracket-wing configurations are often required. When the wing-bracket comes pre-attached or affixed in inflexible positions, it becomes cumbersome and difficult to accommodate different walls and speakers.
A second limitation is that the wide width of the traditional bracket and wing system reduces what may be already a very limited space for locating a stud within the wall. Finally, the traditional method does not allow for easy assembly. Most such systems require at least the use of screws and some of the wings and brackets are of one immovable piece. Motivated consumers who want to do it themselves may find it difficult with the traditional system, especially when it comes to different desired speaker units and wall configurations.
Thus, there is still a need for bracket and wing systems and methods that facilitate installation, and provide flexibility to accommodate different wall or ceiling panels.